The Eugene Emeralds returned to PK Park on Sunday following a tough loss in extra innings against Salem-Keizer the night prior. But for the second consecutive night, the Emeralds lost in extra innings, this time 4-3 in 11 hard-fought innings against the Spokane Indians.
“We can’t afford to have too many more of those, especially when we’re in position late in the game,” Emeralds manager Gary Van Tol said.
The road trip as a whole, however, was a huge success, especially at this crucial point in the season. The Emeralds took four of six games against Boise and Salem-Keizer, and moved into sole possession of first place in the Northwest League South standings.
“If anybody would’ve said before we left for Boise, ‘If you come home four out of six in first place would you take it?’” Van Tol asked hypothetically. “After last night’s game, I’d take it and run with it.”
Holding a 3-1 lead going into the ninth inning, Emeralds reliever Scott Frazier came in for Luis Hernandez. But Frazier lasted all of two batters, never getting comfortable on the mound. After Dylan Moore’s leadoff double, Frazier allowed a two-run home run from Sanchez and, all of a sudden, the game was tied 3-3. The Emeralds were unable to score in the bottom of the ninth, and the game headed to extra innings.
After a scoreless tenth inning, the Indians made their move in the top of the eleventh. Moore doubled another to left field. With two outs, Ti’Quan Forbes singled on a grounder to right, scoring Moore from second. Tyler Peitzmeier prevented Spokane from doing any further damage.
With one last chance, the Emeralds quickly found themselves in a hole after consecutive groundouts from Eloy Jimenez and Andrew Ely. Alex Bautista came on to pinch hit as a last-ditch effort, but grounded out to end the game.
“It wasn’t like we made errors or walked anybody,” Van Tol said. “You gotta tip your cap to them for getting the right guys to the plate and doing some damage.”
Donnie Dewees’ triple in the bottom of the fourth extended his hitting streak to 16 consecutive games. He’s hit .347 during the stretch, and tonight went 2 for 4 with a run in addition to the triple.
“When he gets on base, especially at the top of the order, it really puts pressure on defenses and pitchers,” Van Tol said. “He’s kind of streaky. When he’s on, he’s doing some unbelievable stuff to help us win ballgames… With this streak, it shows that his consistency is starting to happen… He’s our spark plug.”
Sunday’s loss, combined with Hillsboro’s victory over Tri-City moved the Emeralds back into a tie for first with the Hops. With a little over two weeks left in the regular season, Van Tol’s team is keeping a close eye on the standings. The Emeralds have seven consecutive home games left, concluding with a three-game series against Hillsboro that begins Friday.
The Emeralds play Spokane tomorrow night at PK Park. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner